Roxio CinemaNow - The Medallion

Once again Roger Ebert, the movie fan, is at odds with Roger Ebert, the critic. The movie in question this time is Jackie Chan's The Medallion, and Ebert writes: I realize I am not stern enough with such movies, permitting myself to be entertained when I should be appalled, but just when I am trying to adjust my frown, in walks John Rhys-Davies and introduces himself as 'Commander Hammerstock-Smythe,' and there I go again. Other critics apparently have decided to resolve such conflict by offering essentially non-reviews, in which they offer a synopsis of the film but present little in the way of opinion about it. Dave Kehr in the New York Times observes that the film is intended for an international public but still retains some Hong Kong street credibility. Kevin Thomas concludes his review in the Los Angeles Times by remarking, Chan defies time and gravity with remarkable energy, ease and resourcefulness, not to mention charm and humor. Nevertheless, virtually all of the reviews remark that Chan appears to be resolving the problem of growing older by substituting digital effects for the stunts that he used to amaze audiences with. Still other critics are not reluctant to diss Chan. Lou Lumenick in the New York Post describes the movie as a pretty bottom-of-the-barrel affair, for the actor. Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel calls it a stupid, slow-footed movie. But Geoff Pevere in the Toronto Star pays the film the most left-handed compliment of all: Nine year-olds of all ages ought to be delighted, he writes.